Ruminations on Life, the Universe and Everything... But mostly, Pakistan and Pakistani media...

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Clueless Mr Harrison

The only question that can possibly arise from any sensible follower of international relations after reading Center for International Policy director and former Washington Post South Asia bureau chief Selig Harrison's August 26 op-ed in the New York Times is this: Is Selig Harrison a paid lobbyist for India or simply senile?

Selig S. Harrison: using a table to seem reflective

So full of bollocks is his piece - written breathlessly like a breaking news story - that it is hard to imagine who could possibly ever take it or Mr Harrison seriously. The basic thrust of the op-ed is that Pakistan has covertly handed over the Gilgit-Baltistan region to the Chinese, a "fact" that it seems only Mr Harrison is privy to and thus he becomes the Chosen One to reveal it to the world. In fact, just hearing about this was enough for me to dismiss the story and move on. I mean, you have to ask yourself, despite our longstanding security ties with China, given Pakistan's national psyche, is such a thing even possible? Could such a development actually happen without anyone knowing about it? Or a hue and cry arising about it in at least Pakistan's anarchic media? (And please don't bring in that sliver of land called Aksai Chin into this, as far as I know nobody lives in that remote desert.)

But now that the Pakistan Foreign Office was forced to issue a rebuttal, I thought I would go back and actually read the piece. And woe is me. Mr Harrison begins with the kind of ominous foreboding that would suit a Tom Clancy thriller, and had it been a film rather than a printed article, would have surely included a menacing dhen dhen dhen soundtrack...

"While the world focuses on the flood-ravaged Indus River valley, a quiet geopolitical crisis is unfolding in the Himalayan borderlands of northern Pakistan, where Islamabad is handing over de facto control of the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in the northwest corner of disputed Kashmir to China."

Unfortunately, having set up his thriller, he almost immediately puts his foot into his rather large mouth by making factually ridiculous claims:

"The entire Pakistan-occupied western portion of Kashmir stretching from Gilgit in the north to Azad (Free) Kashmir in the south is closed to the world, in contrast to the media access that India permits in the eastern part, where it is combating a Pakistan-backed insurgency."

Does Selig even know anything of what he writes about? Gilgit-Baltistan is closed to the world??? Has he ever heard of European trekking and mountaineering expeditions? Or Japanese and Korean tourists visiting Buddhist relics? Or the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme that has international consultants coming in and out of the region with more regularity than he probably goes to the loo with? Or has he never read international dispatches from Muzaffarabad during the earthquake or from the site of the recent Attabad landslide lake in Hunza? Yes, foreigners do need a special visa to go into these areas, partly because Pakistan officially considers them disputed areas and partly because of security concerns. But not only does Pakistani media reach these areas but most newspapers have permanent correspondents based there and report regularly from there. But of course, this fool gives his hand away by comparing it to the "media access that India permits" in Indian-administered Kashmir (which foreign correspondents also need special permission for.) You have to be either totally blinkered or totally corrupt to make the case that media access in the Valley of Kashmir is greater than in Gilgit-Baltistan or Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Mr Harrison then adds:

"... reports from a variety of foreign intelligence sources, Pakistani journalists and Pakistani human rights workers reveal two important new developments in Gilgit-Baltistan: a simmering rebellion against Pakistani rule and the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army."

Aah, the "simmering rebellion" hypothesis, so favoured by Selig. You might go: what? where? How come I didn't see it in Skardu? But then you probably have not followed Mr Harrison's career. Here are two takedowns of his earlier claims, the first from an excellent blog on all things Central Asian called Registan, the other from the Pakistan Policy blog. Registan's post, evocatively and correctly titled "The Inexplicable Longevity of Selig S. Harrison" begins thus:

"Selig S. Harrison has a curious relationship with reality—that is to say, not much of one."

And that in essence is all you need to know about this former hack.

Incidentally, the People's Liberation Army soldiers? Apparently Chinese civilians who have come with flood relief goods and those helping the rebuilding of the Karakorum Highway, which if you recall, was built with Chinese assistance in the first place and has been severely damaged by the recent floods. Harrison in fact admits that most of the Chinese are "working on dams, expressways and other projects." But he also questions some "mysterious tunnels" that he believes could be used for laying oil pipelines and to hide missiles, and plans for railroad and road links that China could use to "transport cargo from Eastern China to... Gwadar." Oh wow. Damn those nefarious-minded Asian types, trying to do things for their own benefit.

By the way, doesn't everyone know about Pakistan's longtime collaboration with China on security matters? And why shouldn't Pakistan collaborate with China to build its infrastructure or even as a military counter-weight to India? And why would the Chinese do it unless they see something in it for themslves? Isn't 'strategic national interest' the very foundation of international state relations? But Mr Harrison sees something sinister in this. Why? Basically because:

"Coupled with its support for the Taliban, Islamabad’s collusion in facilitating China’s access to the Gulf makes clear that Pakistan is not a U.S. “ally.” Equally important, the nascent revolt in the Gilgit-Baltistan region is a reminder that Kashmiri demands for autonomy on both sides of the cease-fire line would have to be addressed in a settlement."

By the way, I have no clue what he means by the second part, regardless of his imaginary "nascent revolt" repetition. So, reminders that the Kashmir issue remains outstanding is a problem for you Selig?

But of course Mr Harrison can't leave it at that. He must earn his lobbying funds (ok, I have no proof of this, but I would be dumbfounded if the following bit of Indian establishment fantasy were being repeated without any quid pro quo):

"Media attention has exposed the repression of the insurgency in the Indian-ruled Kashmir Valley. But if reporters could get into the Gilgit-Baltistan region and Azad Kashmir, they would find widespread, brutally-suppressed local movements for democratic rights and regional autonomy."

I have news for you Selig. People all over Pakistan desire democratic rights and regional autonomy (as, dare I say, they do in vast swathes of Moaist insurgency-wracked India) but nowhere in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir will you find the kind of brutal military-backed suppression of local movements that you will find in the Valley. To draw equivalences there is the height of ignorance, of cynicism or devious attempts to deflect focus.

And of course no two-bit "expert" on South Asia (or any third world area) can go without attempting to stoke sectarian / ethnic fires through sweeping generalizations:

"When the British partitioned South Asia in 1947, the maharajah who ruled Kashmir, including Gilgit and Baltistan, acceded to India. This set off intermittent conflict that ended with Indian control of the Kashmir Valley, the establishment of Pakistan-sponsored Free Kashmir in western Kashmir, and Pakistan’s occupation of Gilgit and Baltistan, where Sunni jihadi groups allied with the Pakistan Army have systematically terrorized the local Shiite Muslims."

Yes, of course, he has to bring in the Shia-Sunni angle as well, as if his main aim is to protect the Shia of Gilgit-Baltistan (shades of neo-con "experts" wanting to protect the Shia in Iraq, the women in Afghanistan etc). Yes, there are sectarian tensions in parts of the area (Gilgit city for example) which have existed for decades and periodically erupt into violence. But he is obviously confusing areas like Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) - where Al Qaeda backed militants have terrorized Shia populations - as part of the Northern Areas. I have yet to hear of any overt jihadi outfits operating in the Northern Areas. But when your agenda is something else, geography is the least of your concerns.

Selig Harrison goes on:

"Gilgit and Baltistan are in effect under military rule. Democratic activists there want a legislature and other institutions without restrictions like the ones imposed on Free Kashmir, where the elected legislature controls only 4 out of 56 subjects covered in the state constitution. The rest are under the jurisdiction of a “Kashmir Council” appointed by the president of Pakistan. India gives more power to the state government in Srinagar; elections there are widely regarded as fair, and open discussion of demands for autonomy is permitted."

That "democratic activists there want a legislature" must certainly come as news to Northern Areas elected chief minister Mehdi Shah and his elected cabinet. I guess Selig was sleeping when the Northern Areas elections were held. He is right that there is resentment about how much real power the legislatures of Azad Kashmir (which have their own president and prime minister) and Gilgit-Baltistan actually enjoy but do keep in mind that unlike India, Pakistan does not claim to have incorporated the region into the country and, at least accepts their position as regions whose status is yet to be resolved. The bit about elections in Indian-administered Kashmir being "widely regarded as fair" would be laughable (at least as far as the Valley is concerned) if only there were no daily military-enforced curfews and large-scale protests every day there by ordinary Kashmiris demanding independence (no, Selig, they are not demanding "greater autonomy" within India, but nice of you to at least concede that all is not hunky dory there).

Notice also that he never once points out that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan do not consider themselves historically part of Kashmir and their strongest demand has always been a de-linking of their status from that of Kashmir. Why? Probably because it goes against the Indian establishment narrative.

Nevertheless, Mr Harrison provides his prescription for what the US should do with (to?) Pakistan:

"In Pakistan, Washington should focus on getting Islamabad to stop aiding the insurgency in the KashmirValley and to give New Delhi a formal commitment that it will not annex Gilgit and Baltistan. Precisely because the Gilgit-Baltistan region is so important to China, the United States, India and Pakistan should work together to make sure that it is not overwhelmed, like Tibet, by the Chinese behemoth."

So, India should be "pressed" to resume talks with separatists on autonomy (kind of like the US presses Israel to resume Middle East talks?) even as its claims to Kashmir as a part of its union are accepted, while Islamabad gives New Delhi "a formal commitment" about keeping Gilgit and Baltistan in limbo? Oh, I understand Selig, it's because what is important to the US (and you) has nothing to do with the people of GB per se or what they want but with the United States' own strategic interests vis a vis keeping China at bay. And yes, we should all work together to make sure GB is not overwhelmed by China (a patently manufactured scare in the first place), since the only sort of overwhelming that is kosher is by the US. What Selig is basically saying is, if you want to be overwhelmed, Main Hoon Na. Thanks for clearing that up.

Tailpiece: You might have wondered what the Center for International Policy is all about, because any organization that has someone as clueless or mealy-mouthed as Selig Harrison as a director, well what can you really say about its credibility? Well here's what Wikipedia has to say about it's history:

"The Center for International Policy (CIP), located in WashingtonDC, was founded in 1975 by diplomats and peace activists in the wake of the Vietnam War. On its website, the Center describes its mission as "Promoting a U.S. foreign policy based on international cooperation, demilitarization and respect for human rights.""

How the mighty have fallen! At least they are keeping up the "promoting a U.S. foreign policy" bit.

27 comments:

Anonymous
said...

sigh. well, you have to admit, the cherry-picked literati's take on pakistani matters, which irritated you so much a couple of posts ago, is at least more welcome than *this* kind of fare in the international media, especially when it comes from so-called regional "experts".

Very good analysis cafe Pyala! I don't know how such bullshit analysis can even make it to the NYT. This tells me that all these American newspapers like the NYT, Wash Post etc are bitches; they have to print the Pentagon/State department point of view in order to get their news from the war front. I guess being embedded with US forces is more akin to being in bed with and all on all fours.

Whenever the US wants to put some pressure on Pakistan they get to publish some bullshit article in one those newspapers. Last time it was "someone" from the ISI who had said they had duped the CIA into arresting Baradar. They didn't give a name or any reference at all; I mean how the fuck do we know that some mofo from the ISI actually said that. Even if someone had said that its more of a slap in the face for the multi billion dollar CIA that it keeps on getting fucking duped by the ISI.

Most of these Western news media are becoming irrelevant as they turn into prostitutes of vested interests. News is only presented with a spin so as to ingrain the message that the vested interest want to send. Impossible to trust anyone nowadays.

I have an intuition that you will regret writing this piece..more information will trick out about this episode in days to come..Pak hav absolutely no credibility at all.Remember Kargil,USAF drone bases inside Pak,Mumbai attacks(which Pak denied involvement indignantly etc)Truth hurts doesnt it? :)

People all over Pakistan desire democratic rights and regional autonomy.

Ain't it the truth. Beyond this though, Selig Harrison's BS broke down for me when he wrote:

Democratic activists there want a legislature and other institutions

I was wondering if he even heard off the GB elections.

However, for sheer entertainment value, I liked this ominous sentence where he makes us poor, widdle Pakistanis out to look like victims of the Chinese:

Mystery surrounds the construction of 22 tunnels in secret locations where Pakistanis are barred.

8,000 to 11,000 PLA soldiers in Gilgit Baltistan, cordoning random areas of from Pakistanis. Wow, thriller material. I would like to know what grain of truth produced this shell of random BS.

However I'll tell you where the BS about "nascent revolt" comes from. Back in 2005 I read a Newsline article (using the now-after-Swat cliched title "Paradise Lost") which was an interview of some guy who was part of something called the Balawaristan Movement, which I later realised was part of a party called the Balawaristan National Front. My first thought was, great another group of Pakistanis angry about their collective treatment and ready to take on an ethnic hue. Then my thoughts also turned that this might be some front organisation for Indian intelligence as well. With these ultra-small groups, it's hard to tell where real grievance ends and the hand of some establishment begins. But yeah, there is such a thing as a Balawaristan movement for the independence/autonomy of Gilgit-Baltistan/Balawaristan. I'm sure him and his family are doing well. I'm also glad they retained the GB name, as opposed to the more stupider sounding name of Balawaristan.

As for this old joker Selig Harrison, he's a relic of the time when jet travel was expensive, so only journalists and government employed people could afford, or be bothered to regularly travel to the subcontinent from the West, and South Asia and its government and peoples were seen as nothing more than pawns for one side or another of the Cold War. The height of this may have been the Zia years. To get a taste of this differing treatment, just look at the way Charlie Wilson thought of Zia, and the way you or I or ordinary people thought of him.

Jaydev: There's no "episode" for information to trickle from. There's absolutely no substance to this piece, it's all fluff. SH is some dude sitting in Maryland who hasn't visited the area in question in about 4 gazillion years. I don't know where he's getting his info from, but it ain't from the source, buddy.

Aksai Chen is not a sliver of land. Its about three times the size of Azad Kashmir. It is also disputed entirely between India and China. Pakistan has nothing to do with it. The part area that Ayub Khan conceded to China in 1963 is the Shaksgam valley. You can read about it here

Ahsan, I think the truth lies somewhere between your assessment and Jaydev's. Where the Islamabad military establishment is concerned, lord knows what surprise is going to pop out. Like XYZ said, "People all over Pakistan desire democratic rights and regional autonomy." I think the people of Gilgit Baltistan at a constitutional level have reached their objective to some extent if what this Dawn article quotes is correct.

Anyway, there does seem to be some hew and cry from leaders of small Gilgiti parties with no presence in parliament over the "Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order", saying that it doesn't make a difference. But we know what the value of small parties with barely a parliamentary presence is, eh?

Since even The News has popped up interest on this article (yes we know their half staffed by kooks), the only part where I would look for a kernel of truth would be this little assertion:

Mystery surrounds the construction of 22 tunnels in secret locations where Pakistanis are barred.

A kernel of truth surrounded by an oversize package of speculative BS is the usual NY-Times modus operandi, in fact that of much offensive reportage against Pakistan.

Pls wait till things are proven otherwise. Wait before even you are taken by surprise by concrete proof on the matter!!!There are always instances of unbelievable and bitter truth but in the end, Truth is Victorious.

Thank you so much for writing this post. I've been unable to get this idiot's op-ed out of my brain, which simply cannot be good for one's sanity, hopefully your post should help with the rehabilitation process.

This old choot must have hit some old Indian party line about Pakistan to bring so many Indians out of the woodwork, which at least indicates one thing: Selig Harrison is trying to learn about Pakistan by hanging around Indians. Not the most accurate way to find info.

And the way these guys are salivating all over Pyala's comment section must mean that he's repeated some Indian talking point.

And as for my prediction, I'm guessing some intelligence choot in Washington fed Harrison some info on Chinese work in GB and he's over-speculating. Tunnels in Gilgit Baltistan being used for missile storage? Fuck off Dr Strangelove.

Just looked at the picture of Selig Harrison; uncanny resemblance with Alan Greenspan the previous FED chairman. Mr. Greenspan gave us the market bubble and took the world's financial system to the brink. Selig is going to keep its readers in the dark and feed so much shit to the Americans that they will all turn into mushrooms.

Right on this website, one of the few openly positive posts on the media by Cafe Pyala is on Gilgit Baltistan. Whatever Pakistan can be accused of, it`s not 97% of what this serial hitman Selig says. The sad thing is that everything comes out in times of disasters.

evidence

Multiple television channels having their permanent correspondents posted in Gilgit Baltistan.

Well..I dunno much about Pakistan or the condition in Gilgit-Baltistan. But I do know that there are Balti refugees living in temporary shelters in Ladakh, alleging discrimination, torture, repression etc. etc. in Pakistan. I know 'coz I met them...seems hard to disbelieve such folks, who leave all behind to live in flimsy shelters in a harsh environment...Well, anyways- my 2 paisa.

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